Saturday, January 18, 2014

Welcome to SitcomsOnline Digest! It's a holiday weekend for many of us, but not here, where we've got all of your highlights from around the web and in the home media world (and Tuesday is a huge day for releases, or more specifically re-releases). Let's get going!

HIGHLIGHTS FROM SITCOMSONLINE.COM AND AROUND THE WEB

It was over 30 years ago that John Ritter came to sitcom fame in Three's Company, and now it is possible that his son may be heading in that same direction. The proposed CBS pilot The McCarthys has had a difficult time coming together as a series (and it still may not), but this week, Tyler Ritter (son of John Ritter) was cast in the lead role in the potential sitcom. We'll be keeping an eye on this series... we hope to see it actually make it to air. (Deadline)

The Fox sitcom New Girl is under attack by a lawsuit, over the claim that the idea for the pilot was stolen from another proposed 2006 sitcom called Square One. (Hollywood Reporter)

Two classic sitcom stars died in the past week, including Dave Madden (The Partridge Family) and Russell Johnson (Gilligan's Island). (SitcomsOnline)

HOME MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

We never quite imagined this would happen, but this week, one of the biggest announcements for a DVD release ever was made... and since it is something that we weren't expecting, it makes sense that it would come from an unsuspecting source. On Wednesday, Conan O'Brien went to Twitter to tell his fans that the classic Adam West Batman series would in fact be coming to DVD! Warner Home Video is behind this (it has been stated in the past that there was an issue between Warner, who has for quite some time owned the rights to just about everything else Batman, and Fox, who actually produced the show), but another question this leads us to ask is if this will just be DVD or if we could potentially see a Blu-ray release too... we don't know that answer yet, but DC Comics confirmed this with some interesting wording using "Home Media" and a "Blu-ray" tag in their post... but we'll have to wait and see!

Fans of Little House on the Prairie have long been disappointed with the DVD releases of that series (particularly due to the edited episodes), but now, Lionsgate is putting together new remastered of the series, and they'll be uncut this time. And, to add to that, they'll be on DVD and Blu-ray. Little House on the Prairie - Season One (DVD/Blu-ray) will be released on March 25.

RECENT HOME MEDIA REVIEWS ON SITCOMSONLINE

Hazel - The Complete Fifth and Final Season: Shout! Factory completes the run of this classic series with this release of the final season of the series. While it wasn't the greatest season of the series, and the video quality does leave a bit to be desired, it is still a must own for fans of classic TV series.

Highway to Heaven - Season 3 (DVD, $9.98): Another re-release from Mill Creek (but this season is the last re-release, as future seasons will be new to DVD for the first time once Mill Creek releases them)

Claim to Fame: Starting out on stage (including on Broadway), Dillahunt landed his first TV role in One Life to Live in 1993. Following that, he made several appearances in TV series over the next several years, with his most significant roles on the (mostly forgotten) Showtime series Leap Years and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. To sitcom fans, though, he is best known in his role on the sitcom Raising Hope.

The Big Bang Theory - "The Allowance Evaporation" (CBS, 8:00PM ET/PT)
(Repeat)
Sheldon and Amy have their first fight since moving in together, and Koothrappali is shocked at the realities of financial independence when he stops receiving support from his father.

Kevin Can Wait - "Kenny Can Wait" (CBS, 8:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
Kevin strikes up an unlikely friendship with Harry Connick Jr., but gets caught in a web of lies trying to impress his new friend. Harry Connick Jr. guest stars as himself.

Great News - "Snowmageddon of the Century" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT) (Repeat)
After organizing a poorly attended staff karaoke night, Carol (Andrea Martin) is convinced that everyone at "The Breakdown" needs some office bonding time. When Greg (Adam Campbell) refuses to help, Carol enlists the help of God, causing a huge snowstorm to trap everyone in the building overnight. Chuck (John Michael Higgins) takes an interest in working with Katie (Briga Heelan), which Portia (Nicole Richie) convinces Katie is romantic.

The Guest Book - "Story Four" (TBS, 10:30PM ET/PT)
Christy heads up to the mountains to try and bond with her new boyfriend Paul and his 8-year-old daughter, but she self-medicates because of her anxiety and ends up revealing some skeletons in her closet.